The TCS Amsterdam Marathon was the fastest marathon of the weekend, with Wilson Chebet running 2:05.41, a three second course record and Meseret Hailu, who ran 2:21:08 CR. Over the weekend the 111th, 112th, 113th and 114th runs under 2:07 were performed. Pretty amazing is it not? Ethiopians were amazing in Amsterdam this weekend. 

W. CHEBET 2:05:41 AND HAILU 2:21:08

AMSTERDAM (NED, Oct 21): Excellent course records at 37th TCS Amsterdam Marathon. Fresh world half-marathon champion Meseret Hailu improved her best to 2:21:08 course record (her previous best 2:27:15 was from Prague this May as third). Second Kenyan Eunice Kirwa debuted with fast 2:21:29  and third Ethiopian Genet Getaneh got 2:25:37 (PB by 20 seconds). Under 2:30 also fourth Kenyan Diane Chepkemoi 2:27:31. Best European as 6th Estonian Leila Luik 2:40:10. Kenyan Wilson Chebet defended his last year title in 2:05:41 and improved the course record by 3 seconds. Second Bentayehu Assefa of Ethiopia debuted sensationally with 2:06:21. Just two seconds behind him another Ethiopian Abrha Gebretsadik 2:06:23 (debut) and fourth Feyisa Bekele 2:06:26 (debut) with fifth Abraham Girma 2:06:46 PB and sixth Mulugeta Wami 2:07:11 also PB to underscore the Ethiopian domination. Next Kenyan as 7th pacemaker Gideon Kipketer 2:08:14. 12 runners went sub 2:10, the last as 12th Dutch Michel Butter as top European with superb lifetime best 2:09:58. He is only fifth European marathon runner with sub 2:10 in 2012 with 2:12:59 being his previous best. Half marathon world leader Atsedu Tsegay gave up after the half marathon mark.

LOYANAI 2:06:46 COURSE RECORD

GONGJU (KOR, Oct 21): Kenyan Wilson Loyanai won the Dong-A Ilbo Gyeongju International Marathon after 2011 again, this time in fast new course record 2:06:46, his best is 2:05:37 from Seoul win in spring. Second Boniface Mbuvi clocked personal best 2:08:39, the same for third Moses Kurgat 2:08:40. In total first seven went under 2:10, all Kenyans. Best non-Kenyan was Ethiopian Fikadu Lemma as 10th (2:11:49) and best non-African home runner Oh Seo-Jin as 13th in 2:17:02. Among non-finishers also US Mohamed Trafeh. Women category was local with Choi Bo-Ra winning in 2:40:20, informs Tilastopaja.

KOGO BEATS KUMA AND TADESE

BIRMINGHAM (GBR, Oct 21): Kenyan Micah Kogo won a thrilling sprint for the line ahead of Abera Kuma to set a new course record at the Bupa Great Birmingham Run with 1:00:17. Kuma clocked 1:00:19 and pre-race favourite Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea was third in 1:01:06. On a very misty morning, Kogo – after losing in last month’s Bupa Great North Run by a second – made amends by smashing the course record of 1:01:29 set a year ago by the legendary Ethiopian, Haile Gebrselassie. Best European was French Abdellatif Meftah in 1:03:55 as 5th. The women’s race was a less high profile affair with Sara Moreira from Portugal taking total control in the last three miles to notch  a runaway victory ahead of Ethiopia’s former World Half Marathon champion Berhane Adere with 1:12:49 to 1:15:02. Third Kenyan Irene Mogaka 1:15:40.  „It’s really good to win,” said Moreira a London Olympic Games 10,000m finalist. „I’m very happy with how the race went although I had a slow first 10km but I picked it up in the second half. I’m currently training for the European cross country in Budapest and the tough course in Birmingham is good preparation.” Informs David Martin.

KIPCHUMBA TOP COURSE RECORD 2:06:05

REIMS (FRA, Oct 21): Great course record at 29th Reims Marathon. Kenyan Mariko Kipchumba (37) clocked new lifetime best 2:06:05 to improve the event top mark. His previous PB was 2:09:03 from Berlin 2008. Second Richard Limo achieved 2:11:02. Women winner Ethiopian Zeytuna Arba bettered her best to 2:38:45. Half-marathon winners are Philemon Yator 1:01:50 and Ethiopian Woyinshet Girma 1:11:13.

THREE UNDER ONE HOUR

VALENCIA (ESP, Oct 21): Kenyan Joel Kimurer won the Medio Maratón Valencia Trinidad Alfonso in fast personal best 59:36. Second African champion Kenneth Kipkemoi 59:46 and third recent world bronze winner from Kavarna and title defender from 2010 and 2011 here John Mwangangi 59:58. The winner missed the course record by 6 seconds (59:30 Geoffrey Mutai in 2009) but it is for first time in one race in Spain that 3 runners got results under one hour. In women category also a Kenyan win for Alice Mogire in 1:09:57 ahead of Marisa Barros of Portugal 1:10:41 and Malika Asahssah of Morocco 1:11:15. In total 9000 partcipants were registered.

OTHER RESULTS

IVANO-FRANKIVSK (UKR, Oct 20-21): Good results from Ukrainian Walking Championships at 50 km. All three medalists finished under 4 hours. 39-years old Oleksiy Shelest won the race with 3:53:47 setting PB. Ihor Saharuk was second 3:54:35 ahead best walker in U23 category Ivan Banzeruk 3:56:10 (lifetime bests for both).  Fourth from World Junior Championships in Barcelona Lyudmyla Olyanovska won 10 km women race overtaking all senior participants. Her time 45:45 is new national junior record of Ukraine. 19-years old Andriy Hrechkovskyy became the winner in the same men category with 41:50 PB.

BILBAO (ESP, Oct 20): Ethiopian Tewodros Zewdu won the 4th edition of Bilbao Night Marathon in 2:18:07. In all races 4700 runners competed in light rain.

VERBANIA (ITA, Oct 21): Ethiopian Kenena Gudeta won the 2nd Lago Maggiore Marathon from Arona to Verbania in course record 2:37:30. Best European third Russian Mariya Kiseleva 2:46:26. Men winner Moroccan Benazzouz Slimani (37) was timed with 2:14:59 ahead of Ethiopian Moti Mekonen 2:15:01.

BURNIE (AUS, Oct 21): Record field 4416 runners was registered for the Burnie Ten road race in wintery conditions. Olympian Collis Birmingham won for second time after 2006, with 29:04. Second miler Ryan Gregson 29:13 and third Liam Adams 29:21. Women winner Nikki Chapple in 33:48 beat Lara Tamsett who was trying for the fourth win here (33:55).

CREMONA (ITA, Oct 21): Fast course record at 11th Cremona half-marathon for Solomon Kirwa Yego 1:01:37. Second Hillary Bii 1:01:40 and third Hosea Kisorio 1:02:05. Women winner Hellen Jepkurgat got 1:11:16.

CHIBA (JPN, 0ct 21): Brett Larner informs on his blog that  Yuki Kawauchi in his preparation for Fukuoka Marathon won in 2:17:48 the first Chiba Aqualine Marathon. 2012 Gold Coast Marathon winner Kaori Yoshida took the women’s race in 2:32:11 just four weeks before her planned World Championships bid at the Yokohama International Women’s Marathon.

TOKYO (JPN, Oct 21): Kazuma Kubota won in 59:28 the Takashimadaira College 20 km.

VALLECROSIA (ITA, Oct 20): Winners of IAU 50 km World Trophy in Italy were British ultra runners. Steven Way 2:53:41 and Helen Taranowski 3:30:43.

GRODNO (BLR, Oct 20): Belarus CC Championships were also selection for December European CC Championships in Budapest. Anastasiya Dashkevich won the 6 km in 21:04 and was second at 3 km (10:26). Here the winner Irina Ananenko achieved 10:13, third Mariya Arzamasava 10:30 over Olga Dubovskaya also 10:30. In the longer race second fresh Kosice marathon second placer Marina Damantsevich 21:14 and third Olga Kravtsova 21:42. Men 8 km winner was Sergey Platonov 24:20 over Maksim Pankratov 24:30 and Yevgeniy Palonikov 24:35. In men 4 km Vitaliy Kudrevich was first (11:59).

KANKAANPAA (FIN, Oct 20): Kenyan Peter Limo won the marathon here in 2:21:26. Women half-marathon winner was former European CC Champion Annemari Sandell-Hyvarinen in 1:16:40.

OTHER NEWS

LONDON (GBR): Insidethegames informs that BBC Worldwide has retained the international distribution rights to the Virgin London Marathon for a further three-year period. Under the terms of the extension, which has been agreed ahead of Sportel Monaco 2012, BBC Worldwide will continue to distribute coverage of the event to all territories excluding the United Kingdom until 2018. Last year the Virgin London Marathon was licensed to 196 territories around the world.